Quiz: Howstuffworks

Can You Identify These Famous Works by British Artists?

Marie Hullett

Image: duncan1890 / DigitalVision Vectors / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Long before the 1707 formation of the Kingdom of Great Britain, the nations that made up the western European state enjoyed a rich and distinctive art history. Over the years, British artwork has documented famous rulers and aristocrats, explored religious and cultural traditions and defied globally-accepted genres. The English Renaissance emphasized portraiture, while interest in landscape painting emerged around the 18th century. Over the centuries, the culture's artwork would shift from religious symbolism to portraiture to pastoral, from realism to impressionism to abstraction.

Whether you're an art history extraordinaire or have never set foot in a gallery (let alone the Tate Modern, Britain, London or St. Ives), it's time to test your knowledge of some of the most famous works in the region. Do you know your George Stubbs from Ford Madox Brown? J.M.W. Turner from John Everett Millais? Freud from Bacon? There's only one way to find out, and that's by taking the following quiz.

Sure, many can tell Banksy from Bridget Riley, but do you even remember L.S. Lowry? Only the best and brightest will pass this quiz with flying colors. Let me paint you a realistic picture: This test won't be too easely. You might actually find it quite hart!

Wiki Commons by Edmund Leighton

This 1901 painting explores the subject of chivalry. Can you identify the work?

"England's Pride and Glory" by Thomas Davidson

"The Accolade" by Edmund Leighton

"The Tête à Tête" by William Hogarth

"Mr. and Mrs. Andrews" by Thomas Gainsborough

Leighton's painting depicts an accolade, which is a type of ceremony that bestows knighthood upon someone. Often, the ceremony involves tapping a sword's flat side on the shoulders of a candidate. This painting is Leighton's most famous, and is considered a quintessential piece of medieval iconography, according to the Art Renewal Center.

Wiki Commons by George Stubbs

The artist behind this 1765 work is remembered as one of Britain's best animal painters. What is the title?

"Our English Coasts" by William Holman Hunt

"Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais

"Whistlejacket" by Sir Joshua Reynolds

"Mare and Foals in a River Landscape" by George Stubbs

This painting belongs to a group commissioned for several aristocratic patrons, which largely features successful racehorses. Stubbs was known for his amazing anatomical accuracy when depicting animals. This piece can now be found in the Tate.

Wiki Commons by National Portrait Gallery

Sir Henry Lee, the Queen's Champion from 1559 to 1590, commissioned this painting. Can you identify it?

"Elizabeth I" by John Bettes the Younger

"Elizabeth I" by George Gower

"Lord Byron" by Thomas Phillips

"The Ditchley Portrait" by Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger

Historians believe Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger painted this piece to commemorate an event that Sir Henry Lee organized for the Queen around September 1592. After Lee's retirement, he left to live with his mistress. While originally angry, the Queen was thought to forgive him for his antics at this particular occasion. Indeed, one of the Latin phrases on the painting translates to, "She can but does not take revenge."

Wiki Commons by Infrogmation of New Orleans

Though this work can be found in New Orleans, it is done by a famous British artist. Who is it?

Anish Kapoor

Banksy

Chris Ofili

Damien Hirst

Banksy's "Swinger" is one of his myriad street art pieces. As many know, Banksy's real name and identity remain ever-elusive, perhaps in part because graffiti is illegal in most places. You can find his works (and likely many Banksy imitations) on streets across the globe.

Youtube via erasedculture

This oil painting can be found in the Tate collection. Do you know what it is?

"Brighton Pierrots" by Walter Sickert

"Our English Coasts" by William Holman Hunt

"Swan Upping at Cookham" by Sir Stanley Spencer

"Freedom" by George Stubbs

This painting features an annual tradition that takes place on the River Thames. "Swan upping" refers to when the British catch the swans and mark them to indicate ownership. Though Spencer began this work in 1915, he couldn't complete it until 1919 due to his involvement in World War I.

Youtube via lejewel_uk London

At the time of its sale in 2004 for £744,800, this painting set a record for any ever sold in Scotland. Can you correctly identify it?

"The Lady of Shalott" by John William Waterhouse

"The Singing Butler" by Jack Vettriano

"Mr. and Mrs. Andrews" by Thomas Gainsborough

"Marriage A-la-Mode" by William Hogarth

If you include reproductions of artwork, "The Singing Butler" is the best-selling work in the history of the U.K. The painting features a couple dancing on a beach on the coast of Fife as a butler and a maid hold umbrellas for them. As an iconic cultural work, some compare "The Singing Butler" to "American Gothic." Although it's beloved by the public, art critics have widely criticized it for its technique.

Wiki Commons by National Gallery web site

This 1838 painting depicts a 98-gun ship that played an important role in the Battle of Trafalgar. Can you name it?

"The Destruction of 'L'Orient' at the Battle of the Nile" by George Arnald

"The Fighting Temeraire" by J.M.W. Turner

"Whistlejacket" by George Stubbs

"Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey" by Francis Hayman

The Temeraire was one of the final ships to play a part in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1838. A paddle-wheel tug boat pulled it to its final docking site in Rotherhithe in London, at which point it was broken up into wood scrap. In a 2005 poll conducted by BBC radio, British people voted this painting as their favorite in the nation.

Wiki Commons by Web Gallery of Art

This painting depicts one of Shakespeare's tragic figures. Can you guess the name and artist?

"Lady Macbeth" by Thomas Gainsborough

"Ophelia" by John Everett Millais

"Desdemona" by John Singer Sargent

"Juliet" by L.S. Lowry

This painting features Ophelia, a central character in William Shakespeare's play "Hamlet." Millais depicted her just before she falls off a tree branch and drowns in a Denmark river. It now can be found at the Tate in London.

Wiki Commons by L S Lowry

The oil painting pictured here depicts factory workers headed to Mather & Platt in Manchester. Can you identify this work?

"A Bigger Splash" by David Hockney

"The Last of England" by Ford Madox Brown

"England's Pride and Glory" by Thomas Davidson

"Going to Work" by L.S. Lowry

L.S. Lowry is widely known for his paintings of scenes of industrial districts in England, including this one, which he created in 1943. He often called the figures in his many urban settings "matchstick men." Lowry currently holds the record for rejecting the most British honors, including a knighthood.

Wiki Commons by Ireas

This oil painting is among the most famous of a certain Suffolk artist. Do you know what it is?

"The Lady of Shalott" by John William Waterhouse

"Mr. and Mrs. Clark and Percy" by David Hockney

"Marriage A-la-Mode" by William Hogarth

"Mr. And Mrs. Robert Andrews" by Thomas Gainsborough

This mid-18th century portrait is one of many Thomas Gainsborough depicted of people across England. Widely considered one of the most prolific British portrait artists of the 18th century, Gainsborough is also credited as the founder of the British landscape school.

Wiki Commons by John William Waterhouse

The painting featured here is based on an 1832 poem by Alfred Tennyson. Can you pick it from the list?

"Lady Godiva" by John Collier

"The Lady of Shalott" by John William Waterhouse

"Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais

"Crescent Moon" by Montague Dawson

Tennyson's lyrical ballad of the same name tells the story of Elaine of Astolat, a young noblewoman imprisoned by a curse in a tower on an island. This Pre-Raphaelite style painting depicts the end of the poem, when she manages to escape her tower and float down the river in search of Sir Lancelot. Unfortunately, she dies before she reaches his palace.

Wiki Commons by John Collier

This 1898 Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood style painting is one of Britain's most famous. Do you know which one of these it is?

"Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais

"Emma Hart in a Straw Hat" by George Romney

"Anne Boleyn" by Sir John Hoskins

"Lady Godiva" by John Collier

John Collier is remembered as one of Britain's most important portrait painters. Legend has it that English noblewoman Lady Godiva, Countess of Mercia, who died in 1086, used to ride her horse through the streets naked, only covered by her long hair. According to the tale, she did so to in attempt to be pardoned for her husband's cruel taxation policies.

Wiki Commons by John Constable

This 1821 features a rural scene on the River Stour, which is located between Suffolk and Essex. Can you name it?

"The Hay Wain" by John Constable

"Our English Coasts" by Holman Hunt

"The Ancient of Days" by William Blake

"We are Making a New World" by Paul Nash

Currently on display at London's National Gallery, historians consider "The Hay Wain" as one of England's most popular paintings. In the painting, three horses pull a wagon across the river. It was originally titled "Landscape: Noon."

Wiki Commons by John William Waterhouse

Here is another Pre-Raphaelite style painting. Can you guess the title and artist?

"The Age of Innocence" by Joshua Reynolds

"Phyllis" by Louise Jopling

"Crescent Moon" by Montague Dawson

"Boreas" by John William Waterhouse

Named after the Greek god of the northern wind Boreas, this painting shows a young woman with the wind catching her scarf. After being lost for nine decades, it was put up for sale in the 1990s.

Youtube via LearnFromMasters

Can you identify this painting of a three-decker sailboat?

"Crescent Moon" by Montague Dawson

"We are Making a New World" by Paul Nash

"The Ancient of Days" by William Blake

"Fishermen at Sea" by J.M.W. Turner

The 20th century painter Montague Dawson is renowned for his depictions of sailing ships, most of which were warships or clippers from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Dawson received no formal art training, but is hailed for his immense technical accuracy.

Wiki Commons by Joseph Wright of Derby

Some historians think this 1771 painting depicts the discovery of phosphorous by alchemist Hennig Brand in 1669. Can you name it?

"Recruit's Progress" by Carel Weight

"Merry-Go-Round" by Mark Gertler

"The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorous" by Joseph Wright of Derby

"We are Making a New World" by Paul Nash

The full title of this painting is actually "The Alchymist, In Search of the Philosopher's Stone, Discovers Phosphorus, and prays for the successful Conclusion of his operation, as was the custom of the Ancient Chymical Astrologers." Yes, that's a mouthful, which is perhaps why it has been shortened.

Wiki Commons by Henry Wallis

The 1856 Pre-Raphaelite painting pictured here can be found at the Tate Britain. What is it?

"The Death of Chatterton" by Henry Wallis

"Charles Dickens" by William Powell Frith

"Lord Byron" by Thomas Phillips

"Henry John Temple" by Thomas Heaphy

In this painting, Henry Wallis depicted 17-year-old English Romantic poet Tomas Chatterton, who was found dead after he poisoned himself with arsenic in 1770. In Wallis' time, many young, struggling artists viewed Chatterton as an icon.

Wiki Commons by Paul Nash

This 1918 painting depicts three British soldiers in a trench in World War I. Can you correctly identify it?

"The Charge of the 21st Lancers at the Battle of Omdurman" by Richard Caton Woodville Jr.

"The Last of England" by Ford Madox Brown

"Our English Coasts" by William Holman Hunt

"Spring in the Trenches, Ridge Wood" by Paul Nash

British surrealist painter Paul Nash created numerous depictions of warfare over the years. He also served as one of Britain's most acclaimed landscape artists of the 20th century and played a fundamental role in the development of the Modernism art movement.

Wiki Commons by Joshua Reynolds

No one knows for sure who the angelic-looking subject of this 1788 portrait is. Can you name the piece, though?

"The Age of Innocence" by Joshua Reynolds

"Anne Boleyn" by Sir John Hoskins

"Elizabeth I" by George Gower

"Child" by Nicholas Hilliard

Portrait artist Joshua Reynolds is well-known for his graceful depictions of children, with this one being perhaps his most highly acclaimed. Historians think it might feature his great niece, or the youngest daughter of the fourth Duke of Marlborough, though no one knows definitively.

Wiki Commons by J. M. W. Turner

You can find this 1844 oil painting at London's National Gallery. Do you know what it is?

"A Battery Shelled" by Wyndham Lewis

"Sappers at Work" by David Bomberg

"England's Pride and Glory" by Thomas Davidson

"Rain, Steam and Speed – The Great Western Railway" by J.M.W. Turner

As the title suggests, this painting depicts The Great Western Railway, which was one of the private British railway enterprises established in the 19th century. If you look closely, you can see a tiny hare in the bottom right of the track, perhaps symbolizing speed.

Wiki Commons by John Constable

While the artist of this work sometimes referred to it as "The Drinking Boy," what is its official title?

"Our English Coasts" by Holman Hunt

"The Cornfield" by John Constable

"We are Making a New World" by Paul Nash

"Palmerston" by Thomas Heaphy

This oil painting by prominent naturalist landscape painter John Constable features a lane that leads from East Bergholt to Derdham, Essex. Of his depictions of local Suffolk life, Constable said, "I should paint my own places best... painting is but another word for feeling."

Wiki Commons by Ford Madox Brown

This 1865 painting attempts to convey the Victorian social system's move from rural to urban life. Do you know what it's called?

"Leeds Market" by Harold Gilman

"Recruit's Progress" by Carel Weight

"Going to Work" by L.S. Lowry

"Work" by Ford Madox Brown

Art critics widely revere "Work" as Brown's finest piece. Brown set up an exhibition to display the work and wrote a paper explaining the picture's significance in detail. The painting exists in two slightly different versions, both of which were commissioned.

Wiki Commons by Edmund Leighton

The 1900 painting shown here depicts a knight in shining armor saying goodbye to his beloved before he sets off to war. Can you name it?

"The Accolade" by Edmund Leighton

"The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt

"The Two Crowns" by Sir Frank Dicksee

"God Speed" by Edmund Leighton

Alongside the previously featured work "The Accolade," this 18th century work is another of Leighton's that explores the theme of chivalry. As the knight departs, the woman ties a sash around his arm. In medieval times, custom held that the knight should return it when he came back safe and sound.

Wiki Commons by Frederick George Cotman

This 1880 work depicts a friendly family scene. What is it called?

"An English Family in Macao" by George Chinnery

"England's Pride and Glory" by Thomas Davidson

"Mr. and Mrs. Andrews" by Thomas Gainsborough

"One of the Family" by Frederick George Cotman

Frederick George Cotman loosely belonged to the Norwich School of painters, one of the early provincial art movements in the nation. Like others in the school, naturalism greatly inspired Cotman. This charming work is his most famous.

Wiki Commons by Thomas Gainsborough

Historians believe this 1770 portrait features the son of a wealthy hardware merchant. Can you name the piece?

"Palmerston" by Thomas Heaphy

"Lord Byron" by Thomas Phillips

"Arthur Wellesley" by Sir Thomas Lawrence

"The Blue Boy" by Thomas Gainsborough

"The Blue Boy" is one of prominent British painter Thomas Gainsborough's most famous pieces. Historians believe the artist alludes to Anthony van Dyck due to the subject's 17th century apparel and the many similarities to Van Dyck's portrait of Charles II.

Youtube via DistantMirrors

Can you identify this surrealist 1937 painting?

"Phyllis" by Louise Jopling

"A Mermaid" by John William Waterhouse

"Self-Portrait" by Leonora Carrington

"Emma Hart in a Straw Hat" by George Romney

British-born Mexican artist Leonora Carrington was an important figure in the 1930s surrealist movement. In addition to her prolific paintings, she authored a number of short stories and founded the Women's Liberation Movement in Mexico in the 1970s. She grappled with mental health issues throughout her life, which her paintings often seem to explore.

Wiki Commons by John William Waterhouse

Historians think Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Mermaid" may have inspired this 1900 painting, which is called what?

"Sea Nymph" by George Romney

"Lady Clare" by Elizabeth Siddal

"The Awakening" by William Holman Hunt

"A Mermaid" by John William Waterhouse

Tennyson's poem reads in part, "Who would be/ A mermaid fair/ Singing alone/ Combing her hair." Waterhouse exhibited his piece at the Royal Academy in 1901 to an overwhelmingly positive reception.

Wiki Commons by William Holman Hunt

One title of this 1852 pastoral painting is "Our English Coasts." Can you guess the artist and alternate title?

"Haymakers" by George Stubbs

"The Last of England" by Ford Madox Brown

"Strayed Sheep" by William Holman Hunt

"England's Pride and Glory" by Thomas Davidson

Known as one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, William Holman Hunt's works are revered for their detail, symbolism and use of color. In particular, Hunt said writers Thomas Carlyle and John Ruskin influenced his messages, as they believed that the world should be interpreted through a system of signs.

Wiki Commons by Thomas Lawrence

This 1789 portrait of Queen Charlotte is aptly named "Portrait of Queen Charlotte." Do you know the artist?

Thomas Gainsborough

Ford Madox Brown

Thomas Davidson

Sir Thomas Lawrence

In addition to being one of England's leading painters, Sir Thomas Lawrence served as the fourth president of the Royal Academy of Arts in London. A child prodigy, Lawrence supported his family with his artwork by the age of 10. This portrait of Queen Charlotte was his first royal commission.

Wiki Commons by Lawrence Alma-Tadema

In this 1903 painting, one woman feeds the fish as the other women look on. What is it called?

"The Ladies" by Wyndham Lewis

"The Tête à Tête" by William Hogarth

"Silver Favourites" by Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema

"The Painter's Daughters" by Thomas Gainsborough

"Silver Favourites" depicts an ancient Roman scene. The frame of the original painting has a verse from William Wordsworth's poem "Gold and Silver Fishes in a Vase." In the poem, the speaker contemplates the captivity of the fish at the same time he admires them. In the same way, critics think Alma-Tadema perhaps wanted to communicate the beautiful-yet-confined nature of the women in the scene.

Wiki Commons by Edward Burne-Jones

In addition to oil paintings like the one featured here, this famous English artist created a number of stained glass works. Can you identify this piece?

"Hylas and the Nymphs" by John William Waterhouse

"The Beguiling of Merlin" by Edward Burne-Jones

"King Arthur" by Matthew Paris

"John Evelyn" by Robert Walker

Burne-Jones painted this piece sometime between 1872 and 1877. The work depicts a scene from the Arthurian legend of Merlin, in which the Lady of the Lake, Nimue, entraps Merlin as she reads from her spell book. The artist also designed ceramic tiles, tapestries, mosaics and jewelry.

Wiki Commons by William Hogarth

This piece from circa 1743 is one painting in a six-part series depicting domestic life at the time. Can you correctly select the title and artist?

"Symphony in White" by James Abbott McNeill Whistler

"The Little Tea Party" by Walter Richard Sickert

"Edwardian Interior" by Harold Gilman

"The Tête à Tête" by William Hogarth

"Marriage A-la-Mode" is a multi-part series by Hogarth that intended to serve as a moral warning of marrying for money. In addition to being a painter, Hogarth was also a printmaker, cartoonist, editorial satirist and social critic.

Wiki Commons by Graham Sutherland

After studying engineering, the artist of this work convinced his father that he should be allowed to study art. Do you know who it is?

Graham Sutherland

Robert Walker

John Michael Wright

Spencer Gore

Sutherland served as an engineer's apprentice at the Midland Railway locomotive works in Derby before attending the Goldsmiths' School of Art in 1921. His work likely inspired this piece, "Slag-ladles," which depicts ladles designed to collect slag from furnaces and steelmaking units.

Wiki Commons by J. M. W. Turner

This 1829 painting depicts a scene from a seminal piece of literature. Can you guess the artwork's title and name?

"Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder

"Ophelia" by John Everett Millais

"The Beguiling of Merlin" by Edward Burne-Jones

"Ulysses Deriding Polyphemus" by Joseph Mallord William Turner

As the title suggests, this oil painting depicts a scene from Homer's "The Odyssey," in which Odysseus (or Ulysses) stands on his ship after blinding the cyclopes Polyphemus and taunts him. Other allusions in the painting include the Trojan Horse on one of the flags and the horses of Apollo along the horizon.

Youtube via erasedculture

A well-known English painter, writer and critic created this piece in 1912. Can you name it?

"Girls Running" by Philip Wilson Steer

"The Dance Class" by Edgar Degas

"The Dancers" by Wyndham Lewis

"Merry-Go-Round" by Mark Gertler

Wyndham Lewis co-founded the Vorticist art and literary movement, which was inspired by cubism and rejected landscape imagery in favor of abstraction. The movement was short-lived, perhaps due to the onset of World War I, historians think.

Wiki Commons by Milly Childers

This 1891 portrait is of a prominent Member of Parliament and Cabinet minister at the time. Can you guess the title and artist?

"Palmerston" by Thomas Heaphy

"Arthur Wellington" by Sir Thomas Lawrence

"General Gordon" by Julia, Lady Abercromby

"Hugh Culling Eardley Childers" by Milly Childers

Emily Maria Eardley "Milly" Childers painted this portrait of her father just before his retirement. Afterward, the two of them traveled through England and France, Childers painting scenes along the way. Childers also served as an art restorer and copyist for Lord Halifax at Temple Newsam.

Wiki Commons by Louise Jopling

This cherry blossom-adorned portrait from 1883 is entitled what?

"Portrait of a Lady" by James Wills

"Phyllis" by Louise Jopling

"Mary Emma Jones" by Emma Sandys

"Fiammetta" by Emma Sandys

Louise Jane Jopling was among the most renowned female artists of the Victorian era. Her paintings fetched very high prices and were exhibited at venues like the Palace of Fine Arts and the World's Columbian Exposition. Her social circle included the likes of Oscar Wilde, painter Kate Perugini (Charles Dickens' daughter) and actress Ellen Terry.

Wiki Commons by George Stubbs

This 1772 painting is perhaps the first of an Australian animal in the history of Western artwork. Can you name it?

"The Kongouro from New Holland" by George Stubbs

"Australian Coast" by J.M.W. Turner

"Kangaroo" by Phillip Wilson Steer

"Animal" by Thomas Gainsborough

In addition to his portraits of dogs and horses, Stubbs dabbled in depicting Australian animals like kangaroos and dingos. Unlike most of his works, though, this piece didn't feature a live subject. Joseph Banks commissioned the work based on the skin of an animal he found off Australia's east coast during 1770.

Wiki Commons by John William Waterhouse

This painting depicts a scene from a Greco-Roman legend. Can you correctly identify it?

"Hylas and the Nymphs" by John William Waterhouse

"The Lady of Shalott" by John William Waterhouse

"The Beloved" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

"Proserpine" by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Historians pieced together the legend of Hylas from Ovid and other ancient writers. In the tale, the female water nymphs, the Naiads, abduct an enchanted Hylas while he attempts to take a drink of water. At the time, critics viewed Waterhouse's painting as a warning against dangerous, provocative female sexuality.

Wiki Commons by Philip Wilson Steer

What is the title and artist of this impressionist piece from 1894?

"We are Making a New World" by Paul Nash

"Brighton Pierrots" by Walter Sickert

"Girls Running" by Philip Wilson Steer

"Leeds Market" by Harold Gilman

This painting features two girls running along the Walberswick Pier in Suffolk, where Phillip Wilson Steer had many companions. Steer's works are considered some of the most genuinely impressionist pieces in Britain, and this piece in particular was considered quite avant-garde for the time. One critic even called works like this one at the New English Art Club "evil."

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